“Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva” takes place Feb. 12 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and a “Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Heavyweight Tournament” bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva headlines the night’s Showtime broadcast.

The tournament bracket includes eight confirmed participants. In addition to Emelianenko vs. Silva, the Feb. 12 event also includes Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov. Bouts of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers take place at a later event to be announced.

With the reserve bouts, the Feb. 12 event’s main card features nothing but heavyweight fights.

“This event will showcase the depth of talent in the Strikeforce heavyweight roster,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated. “Shane and Lavar are two products of the Strikeforce Challengers series that has been instrumental in developing new talent. We are proud to welcome them to our championship series for the first time on Feb. 12 and excited to show the world that Strikeforce is home to the best heavyweights on the planet.”

Griggs brings a four-fight win streak into the fight, which included an upset of former WWE star and amateur-wrestling standout Bobby Lashley back in August at “Strikeforce: Houston.” All of the firefighter’s nine wins have come via stoppage due to strikes.

Villante, a recent Strikeforce signee, is a former star wrestler and football player at Hofstra University who made his pro MMA debut two years ago. He’s since racked up a 7-1 record in the Northeast-based Ring of Combat promotion, where he won a heavyweight championship. All of his wins have come via stoppage, five via knockouts.

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